January 2019 | Volume 81 | Issue 1
Hundreds attend Platte-Clay Holiday Open House and participate in Coats and Cans Drive
In December, Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative welcomed around 500 members into its offices in Kearney and Platte City for the annual Holiday Open House. Employees cooked over 50 gallons of chili for the membership, and Platte-Clay’s Pathfinders volunteer group helped serve lunch and holiday desserts.
CEO Dave Deihl and Board President Debi Koechner spoke to members while they enjoyed lunch and thanked them for their continued support of the cooperative. Both noted the strong state and continued success of the co-op during 2018. In addition to giving members a chance to celebrate the holidays with co-op employees, this tradition also serves as a community service initiative for PCEC.
Every year the Holiday Open House marks the start of the Coats and Cans drive, a charitable campaign in which PCEC collects canned goods and gently-used coats for those in need in the community. Those donations are distributed to organizations throughout the Northland to assist with high levels of demand they see during the holiday season.
Attendees entered a drawing for four $50 Platte-Clay Fuels gift cards. This year’s winners were: Jane Johnson, Gordon Baker, Lawrence Stubbs and Mike Compton.
Inspiring the Next Generation of Leaders in the Northland
Dave Deihl, General Manager
From the General Manager
At Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative we believe in investing in the next generation of leaders in our community. That is why we are proud to offer several unique and exciting educational opportunities for high school and college students in our service area.
Through our participation in Youth Tour and Youth CYCLE, we offer students the chance to meet their elected officials, learn about the co-op business model and develop leadership skills that will last a lifetime.
Established in the early 60s, Youth Tour sends students to Washington, D.C. for a week of leadership development and educational sightseeing. Similarly, Youth CYCLE offers students the chance to tour the state capitol in Jefferson City and learn about our system of democracy.
Without a doubt, these two programs have grown into invaluable experiences that encourage students to make new friends and see new places while developing important skills.
Every year, PCEC holds an essay contest open to high school sophomores and juniors, with community leaders serving as judges to select two students who will receive an expenses-paid trip to Youth Tour and four other students who will receive an expenses-paid trip to Youth CYCLE.
The topic of this year’s essay contest is “What should the co-op’s role be in the future of electric vehicles?” We believe this topic will challenge students to think about the impact of new technology as more electric vehicles begin to appear in our service area.
The submission deadline for this year’s Youth Tour Essay Contest is February 14. After the submission deadline the top six students will be invited to present their work at an event in March, where Youth Tour and Youth CYCLE representatives will be selected. More information about Youth Tour is available at www.PCEC.coop/YT.
PCEC provides additional opportunities for Northland students in the form of scholarships. Every year, we award three $1,000 scholarships to students from our service area who are current college students or are preparing to enter their first year of college. The deadline for scholarship applications, which are available on pcec.coop/scholarship, is March 4.
Empowering communities is a core part of our mission at Platte-Clay and we believe granting opportunities for students to become leaders is central to achieving that goal. You can help us find the next generation of Northland leaders by sharing information about Youth Tour and PCEC scholarships with a promising student.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns you can reach me via email at GeneralManager@PCEC.coop.
Member Safety Tips: Electric Meters
Digital electric meters measure the amount of electricity used to ensure accurate billing by the electric co-op. Platte-Clay Electric owns and maintains every meter at a residence or business and is also responsible for installing meters when new service is initiated for an account.
When a meter needs to be disconnected or repairs are needed to the meter base for any reason, members are required to call Platte-Clay’s headquarters at 816-628-3121 so a co-op crew can be dispatched to oversee the process. In most circumstances, this is done free of charge to the member unless the requested appointment time is after working hours.
Members should never tamper with meters or attempt to access a meter base for any reason. Not only is this extremely dangerous and could result in electric shock, it is also illegal. If someone is caught tampering with a meter, they could face fees and even criminal prosecution.
Meter tampering increases the cost of providing safe and reliable energy to all cooperative members. PCEC is committed to protecting the safety of its members and the public, which is why steps are taken to ensure proper meter protocol is followed at all times.
Annual Meeting May 9
Platte-Clay is delighted to announce its 2019 Annual Meeting will be held May 9, 2019 at its Kearney headquarters. The cooperative’s annual meeting is an opportunity for members to come together, celebrate another successful year and hear the latest updates about PCEC business operations.
This event also gives members the opportunity to participate in the process for selecting co-op leadership. Platte-Clay’s Board of Directors are elected by the membership at Annual Meetings through an open and democratic process. Below is a list of upcoming deadlines for members interested in becoming candidates for the Board of Directors.
February 21: Members wishing to be nominated must contact Angie Kinard (angiek@pcec.coop) by this date.
February 26: Nominating Committee meets.
February 28: Deadline for petition candidate submissions, which require 15 signatures.
April 19: A full list of verified board candidates will be posted at the Platte-Clay headquarters by this date.
May 9: Annual Meeting date. Candidates may be nominated from the floor as write-in candidates. This method is not recommended as it prevents members from having a chance to adequately learn about candidates.
Platte-Clay Moments
Marketing and Communications Manager Jennifer Grossl and Safety Director Jim Cox present an electrical safety training presentation to the Kearney Chamber of Commerce.
(Left) Directors Kendall Davis and Theresa Wren are presented with Credentialed Cooperative Director Certificates from NRECA. (Right) Board President Debi Koechner and General Manager Dave Deihl update members on PCEC business at the Holiday Open House.
Service Spotlight: Energy Audits
Energy audits identify ways to reduce energy use. PCEC offers members a residential energy audit for $50. After members complete at least 50% of the improvements outlined by the co-op’s energy specialist and within six months of the audit, members may be eligible for a rebate of up to 50% or $500 in matching dollars for improvements and the $50 cost of the energy audit returned. Call 816-628-3121 to learn more.
The Northland Connection is published monthly by Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative, Inc., 1000 W. 92 Highway, Kearney, MO 64060. Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Northland Connection, PO Box 100, Kearney, MO 64060 or mail@pcec.coop.
Platte-Clay is an equal opportunity employer.